The General Seized Her by Force - Chapter 3

The results of the Palace Examination were released today, and some had been waiting since the Yin hour (3:00–5:00 AM) in the early morning.

Wen Shu and her own father were among them.

The Dragon-Tiger Wall, used for posting the official results, was completely bare at this moment, but Master Wen, who was over forty years old, had already clasped his hands together and bowed repeatedly toward the empty wall.

Wen Shu whispered a reminder, “Father, this is not a Bodhisattva. Besides, how well I perform depends entirely on the depth of my learning. Even if the Star of Literature himself were to descend, there would be nothing he could do about it.”

Master Wen thought that this logic made sense. He looked up at the empty wall, shifted his feet to turn in a different direction, and instead began to bow to Wen Shu. “You’re right. Bowing to anyone is not as effective as bowing to you.”

Wen Shu: “…That is not what I meant.”

She was caught between laughter and tears.

At the same time, her father’s bizarre behavior drew the attention of onlookers. Being stared at by so many people made Wen Shu blush with embarrassment.

Her father was stubborn, and although bowing back and forth didn’t change anything, at least it gave him some peace of mind while they waited.

Unable to dissuade her father or stop the gaze of others, Wen Shu tried to keep a straight face, pretending to look at the stars in the sky.

As long as she couldn’t see them, she could pretend they didn’t exist.

After a difficult wait until the end of the Mao hour (5:00–7:00 AM), the Vice Minister of Rites, who was responsible for posting the results, finally arrived.

The moment the officials who posted the notices left, the crowd—which had been relatively composed—instantly became agitated.

At this point, nobody cared who had arrived first or last; everyone swarmed toward the wall to squeeze in.

Wen Shu and Master Wen, who had been in the front row, were instantly pushed to the back.

Wen Shu tried hard to stand on tiptoe to see ahead.

However, the sky was still gray, and unless one was at the very front, it was impossible to see the words on the paper.

Master Wen was even more anxious. He shouted, “Little Sheep, if it really doesn’t work, get on my shoulders, just like you used to when you were small; you’ll be able to see it then.”

As he spoke, he attempted to squat down.

But there were too many people. Before Master Wen could even squat, the heel of his shoe was stepped on by someone behind him, and he stumbled forward. If he had dared to crouch down, it was hard to say who would be riding on his shoulders to see the results.

Furthermore, Wen Shu was grown up; how could she possibly ride on her father’s shoulders like she did in her childhood?

She grabbed her father’s arm to help him stand straight, preventing him from being pushed over and falling to the ground. In such a dense crowd, if someone fell, they could be trampled.

Master Wen had no choice but to stand beside Wen Shu, doing his best to protect her from being crushed by the crowd.

Wen Shu struggled to push forward, sweat beading on her nose and forehead. By the time she finally managed to see her ranking, her father had already been pushed to the other side.

Master Wen waved at her, “You… you go out first. I’m going to go look for my shoe; someone stepped on it.”

Wen Shu: “…”

Wen Shu swam her way back out of the crowd. She was moving backward while everyone else was moving forward, making it even harder to move than before. By the time she finally extricated herself from the crush, the square cap on her head was almost pushed crooked.

Her servant, Doubai, had been watching from the outer circle. Seeing his young master emerge, he immediately greeted him, “Young Master! The Old Madam and the Madam have returned. Did you see the list? What is your ranking!”

Wen Shu looked fair and refined, with a gentle and shy temperament. Paired with her cap and long gown, she looked exactly like a delicate scholar.

Adding to the fact that she had just been “battling” in the crowd, her temples were damp, and not only was there sweat on her nose, but her cheeks were slightly flushed, like a freshly steamed peach bun, making her look even more harmless.

Wen Shu straightened her cap. Although she was reserved, the slight pursing of her lips and her bright, clear eyes already betrayed her emotions.

Doubai’s eyes lit up. His voice, still cracking as a teenager of thirteen or fourteen, climbed in pitch, “First Class?!”

Wen Shu placed her hands behind her back, straightened her posture, and nodded gently, confirming his guess. “First Class.”

Doubai, “First Class!”

The list only wrote the names of the three people in the First Class according to the number of brush strokes in their names. As for the specific ranking, they would have to wait until tomorrow’s Chuanlu Ceremony to find out.

But, regardless, it was the First Class!

Doubai was so excited he spun in circles, unable to contain his emotions. “Where… where is the Master?”

Wen Shu sighed, “Still inside, picking up his shoe.”

Wen Shu looked past Doubai toward the rear. “Where are Grandmother and Mother?”

Doubai, “They are behind. Young Master, you don’t know—our trip here almost—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the sound of a dull horn echoed through the air.

The Wen family’s carriage had moved slowly after entering the city and was still behind. Doubai had run ahead alone before entering the city to deliver the news.

Doubai led his young master toward the carriage. Before they even stepped onto the main road, they heard the command for pedestrians to make way.

Wen Shu heard it too.

Pedestrians retreated, revealing a wide path. The sound of horse hooves approached from afar. Within a few moments, Wen Shu saw three people riding toward them from a distance.

The woman in the lead wore red, dressed in narrow-sleeved battle attire. A two-finger-wide dark brown leather belt was cinched tightly around her slim waist, but Wen Shu could not see anything further.

The other party rode at a blinding speed, passing by like a gust of wind. It was impossible to see her face clearly. One could only see the black horse and the red clothing rushing past, with the woman’s long, high ponytail and the red ribbon tied to it trailing behind in the air.

Wen Shu took only one glance before looking away and continuing to ask, “What almost happened on the trip?”

Doubai blinked his wide eyes and pointed toward the black horse that had already ridden far away. “She… she…”

Wen Shu’s voice was gentle. “She has a horn clearing the path; she must be an official with military achievements in a hurry to enter the palace. It is only right that we move aside.”

Doubai slapped his thigh. “Young Master, she is the one who saved us!”

Wen Shu was stunned. When she turned to look back at the road again, she couldn’t even see the tail of the savior’s horse.

Doubai told Wen Shu about what had happened on the outskirts of the capital. “The Old Madam is fine, but the Madam was frightened.”

After hearing this, Wen Shu’s face turned pale. The previous rosy excitement faded away, and she ran toward the Wen family carriage. “Grandmother! Mother!”

The carriage stopped slowly. Wen Shu ran directly to the back, not even waiting for the servants to put down the stool, and climbed onto the carriage with her hands and feet.

She knelt in the carriage, looking anxiously at the two women inside, examining them from top to bottom.

The Old Madam smiled and leaned forward to stroke her cheek. Her voice was normal, as if the attempted robbery outside the city had never happened. “The results are out today. Did our Shu’er see her ranking?”

Wen Shu’s eyes reddened. She looked at her elderly grandmother and her gentle mother with tear-filled eyes. Seeing that they were indeed safe and sound, she finally felt relieved.

As soon as she spoke, tears fell first. “I saw it. I am in the First Class.”

This was a heaven-sent joy.

The Wen family had been scholars for generations, yet the clan had only produced one Jinshi (advanced scholar). For the generations that followed, no one had achieved that honor. In her father’s generation, he had only managed to pass the Juren (provincial level) exam, working diligently as an official assigned away from the capital for over twenty years, and only last year did he receive a ninth-rank clerical position in the Ministry of Rites.

Being transferred back to the capital was already a great honor, even if it was just a ninth-rank post.

Her father’s career path was visible at a glance; it was estimated that he would stop at the ninth rank for the rest of his life. Therefore, the entire clan pinned their hopes on Wen Shu, who showed the most promise.

However, more than ten years ago, women were not allowed to study. To allow her to attend school and to ensure the Wen family could continue the scholarly glory of their ancestors, her late grandfather had made the decision to have Wen Shu dress as a boy to attend classes.

The Wen family had many children; they had no shortage of boys or girls in the clan—what they lacked were successful scholars. Letting the talented Wen Shu dress as a man was a helpless move. After all, who knew at that time that after the establishment of the new dynasty, in just a few short years, women would actually be allowed to take the imperial examinations and enter the imperial court?

Once a step was taken in the wrong direction, one could only continue down that path. Even though women could study now, Wen Shu had no choice but to continue wearing male attire to study and strive for honors.

The Old Madam stroked Wen Shu’s cap, feeling more heartache than excitement. “It has been hard on you.”

Wen Shu did not feel that it was hard. After wiping away her tears, she sat between her mother and grandmother and murmured, “I have loved reading since I was a child. I don’t feel it is hard.”

She held both of their hands. “Tell me more about what happened this morning.”

The Madam could not tell this story, as she had been shielded by her mother and had seen and heard almost nothing. Now that she had her daughter by her side, she gathered her courage and intended to listen to her mother describe it in detail.

Upon learning that their savior was General Li Chu, Wen Shu nodded and said, “It is only right to prepare a generous gift and pay a visit to express our gratitude.”

The Old Madam looked at Wen Shu and then at her daughter-in-law, checking their expressions.

Wen Shu’s reaction did not look like she remembered General Li at all.

The Madam smiled awkwardly, and while tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, she pointed a finger at her temple.

The Old Madam suddenly understood. That made sense.

Wen Shu’s brain was sharp when it came to reading, but she was a bit muddled in other matters. It was likely that, as a child, she had held General Li’s hand and declared they were the best of friends, only to wake up the next day after dinner and completely forget the person.

It was rare that General Li still remembered her nickname, “Little Sheep.”

Wen Shu looked back and forth, feeling that their expressions were strange. “What is it?”

The Old Madam smiled and said, “Nothing. It’s just that when we prepare the gifts to express our gratitude, we should prepare a bit more.”